Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
smoothie  a blended, cold sweet drink made from fruit,
see http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/
1 Key words: Crossword
Find the key words in the article and write them into the crossword. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
1 2
T
Across
1. Substances that are put into something in small
3
amounts, especially food, in order to make it last
M
longer, look more attractive, or improve it in some
way. (extra info)
4

3. An _______________ is
money used in a way that may earn
5
D
you more money. (para 6)
4. A _______________ is a business that works in a
6
G
very specialized market. (para 6, 2 words)
5. If you are _______________, then you are
7
interfering and not leaving something alone. (para 8)
6. Someone who is _______________ has attitudes
8 9
R
that are considered modern and reasonable. (para 1)
8. Something that brings in a lot of money is 10
_______________. (title)
12

10. A _______________ drink has bubbles of gas in
it. (para 2)
11. The value of the goods and services that a
company sells in a particular period of time is its
_______________. (para 10)
11
E
12. A _______________ is a circle of
light around the head of a holy person. (para 1)
Down
2. Someone who is _______________ thinks about the effects of their actions on the world around them.
(para 3, 2 words)
7. A _______________ is a large company or business organization. (para 4)
9. An _______________ is your idea about what is good and right that you try to follow in your life and
behaviour. (para 2)
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
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Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
2 Company quiz
Decide where these words fit into the table and then skim-read the article to find out what the ethically-
aware companies produce and which global corporation they belong to.
sandwiches Unilever ice cream smoothies McDonald s
Cadbury Schweppes L Or�al cosmetics Coca Cola chocolate
ethically-aware company what it produces sold out to / bought out by ...
Innocent
Ben & Jerry s
Pret A Manger
The Body Shop
Green & Black s
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
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Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
6 The reason that these niche operators choose
Smoothie operators Innocent tread
to sell up, apart from making millions from
familiar path to lucrative deal
businesses they have created from nothing, is
Like other niche brands, Innocent must convince
that they need the power of the big companies
customers it hasn t sold out
if they want to grow further. Innocent is using
Chris Tryhorn and Mark Sweney
Coca-Cola s investment to increase its sales
7 April, 2009
in Europe.
7 Craig Sams, the founder of the organic chocolate
1 A company that tries  to do business in a more
company Green & Black s, said his company
enlightened way  and even has a halo in its
had done well since it sold up to Cadbury in
logo  is going into business with one of the
2005.  Overall it s worked fantastically well, said
world s corporate giants. To some people it
Sams, who has stayed as company president
seems like they have made a deal with the devil.
and continues to offer advice to Green & Black s
owners.  We wanted to spend half a million
2
The founders of Innocent, the ethically-aware
pounds on marketing to increase our sales by
smoothie business that yesterday sold between
Ł2m, but we didn t have half a million pounds.
10% and 20% of the company to the US drinks
group Coca-Cola for Ł30m, are certain that their
8 Sams advised Coca-Cola not to put its name
ideals will not be changed as a result of the deal
over the Innocent product range. Reed said there
with a company best known for its unhealthy
was little danger of Coca-Cola meddling with
fizzy drinks.
the Innocent brand.  They completely believe in
the brand, the people, the system; it s a minority
3  Every promise that Innocent has made, about
investment in Innocent, which will remain a
making only natural healthy products, using
standalone company.
better, environmentally-aware ingredients,
packaging and production techniques, giving
9 Innocent was started ten years ago. The three
money to charity and having a point of view
founders  Reed and his Cambridge University
on the world will remain, co-founder Richard
friends Adam Balon and Jon Wright  thought of
Reed said.  We ll just get to do them even more.
the idea on a snowboarding holiday in February
The founders will continue to lead and run the
1998 and tried out their smoothies at a music
company; we will be the same people in the
festival later that year, using Ł500 of fruit. The
same offices making the same products in the
company now sells two million smoothies a week
same way.
and their turnover is expected to be Ł105m to
Ł110m this year.
4 There are many more eco-companies that have
started small and then sold up to global giants.
Ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry s was one of the
first to sell up to a corporation, when it was
Green & Black s  Cadbury Schweppes
bought for Ł175m by Unilever in 2000. Four
Set up in 1991 by Craig Sams and his wife
years later it said:  We are beginning to look like
Josephine Fairley, the company produced
the rest of corporate America.
organic and Fairtrade chocolate. In 2005 it was
5 British sandwich chain Pret A Manger sold
bought out by Cadbury Schweppes.
shares to the fast food group McDonald s in
Ben & Jerry s  Unilever
2001. The Body Shop  whose founder, Dame
All-natural ice cream company founded in 1978
Anita Roddick, often spoke out against the big
by Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen. Bought by
corporations that run the beauty business  sold
Unilever in 2000.
to the French cosmetics group L Or�al in 2006.
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
Extra info
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Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
The Body Shop  L Or�al Pret A Manger  McDonald s
Founded on an ethical basis by Anita Roddick, Pret was founded in 1986. It says it doesn t use
the company was sold to L Or�al in 2006. additives, uses recycled packaging and tries to
Roddick said at the time:  Having L Or�al come buy organic. A third of the company was sold to
in and say  we like you, we like your ethics, we McDonald s in 2001.
want to be part of you, we want you to teach us
things  it s fantastic.
� Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 07/04/09
3 Comprehension check
Match these sentence halves to give a summary of the article.
1. Innocent is an ethically aware company ... ... at university.
2. Their logo is ... ... that produces smooth fruit drinks.
3. Innocent use ... ... Ł500 of fruit.
4. The company gives ... ... Innocent won t change their ideals.
5. The company was ... ... only natural ingredients.
6. The founders met ... ... to Coca-Cola.
7. Their initial investment was ... ... founded ten years ago.
8. Innocent is expected to make ... ... money to charity.
9. The company has sold shares ... ... an angel with a halo.
10. The founders say that ... ... millions of pounds in 2009.
4 Language: Prepositions
Write in the correct prepositions. Then check your answers by reading back through the article.
to in x2 by into of x2 on with x2
1. do business _______ an enlightened way
2. go _______ business _______ a corporate giant
3. give money _______ charity
4. have a point _______ view _______ the world
5. it was bought _______ Unilever
6. increase its sales _______ Europe
7. little danger _______ Coca-Cola meddling _______ the Innocent brand
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
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Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
5 Discussion
Which of these sentences do you most agree with? Discuss your answers.
a. It s ok for eco-friendly companies to sell shares to a global corporation.
b. Eco-friendly companies should never sell shares to a global corporation.
6 Webquest
Research one of the companies in task 2. What can you find out about the company? Are their share prices
going up or down?
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
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Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal
Level 1 Elementary
KEY
1 Key words: Crossword 3 Comprehension check
Across 1. Innocent is an ethically-aware company that
1. additives produces smooth fruit drinks.
3. investment 2. Their logo is an angel with a halo.
4. niche operator 3. Innocent use only natural ingredients.
5. meddling 4. The company gives money to charity.
6. enlightened 5. The company was founded ten years ago.
8. lucrative 6. The founders met at university.
10. fizzy 7. Their initial investment was Ł500 of fruit.
11. turnover 8. Innocent is expected to make millions of pounds
12. halo in 2009.
9. The company has sold shares to Coca-Cola.
Down 10. The founders say that Innocent won t change
2. environmentally aware their ideals.
7. corporation
4 Language: Prepositions
9. ideal
1. do business in an enlightened way
2 Company quiz
2. go into business with a corporate giant
3. give money to charity
4. have a point of view on the world
ethically-aware what it sold out to / bought
5. it was bought by Unilever
company produces out by ...
6. increase its sales in Europe
Innocent smoothies Coca-Cola
7. little danger of Coca-Cola meddling with the
Ben & Jerry s ice cream Unilever
Innocent brand
Pret A Manger sandwiches McDonald s
The Body Shop cosmetics L Or�al
Green & Black s chocolate Cadbury Schweppes
� Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Smoothie makers tread familiar path to lucrative deal / Elementary
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WEBSITE
FROM
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CAN BE DOWNLOADED